Saturday, February 26, 2011

“One Piece” manga gets theme park events at Osaka Dome, Tokyo Dome

The incredibly popular series “One Piece” will become the first manga to get its own “dome tour.” “One Piece”-themed events will be held at Kyocera Dome in Osaka from March 25 to March 27, followed by events at Tokyo Dome from April 27 to May 1.

The pirate adventure manga, written by Oda Eiichiro, has so far been released in 61 tankoubon volumes, and it currently holds the record for total number of copies printed, at over 200 million.

The dome events will be set up like a theme park, including different areas corresponding to locations from the manga, such as East Blue, Little Garden, Water 7, and Marine Ford. The areas will have miniatures re-enacting scenes, life-sized figures, replicas of structures, costume exhibits, and more. One major highlight is a 20-meter-long replica of Luffy and his gang’s ship, the Thousand Sunny.

A special stage will be set up for various live performances, including costumed character shows, mini-concerts by The ROOTLESS (who sing the current anime theme song), and talk events by the anime’s voice actors.

Although only Osaka and Tokyo have been finalized as venues, the event organizers plan to include other domes throughout Japan on the tour.

tokyograph

SM’s Court Verdict Refutation Unleashes A Flood Of Criticism From The Public

On the 17th, the Seoul District Courts dismissed both the formal objection and exclusive contract suspension injunction filed by SM Entertainment against JYJ (Jaejoong, Yoochun and Junsu). Regarding this, SM Entertainment immediately released a refutation document stating, “SM and JYJ’s legal battle is still not over,” and “The decision laid down by the Courts on the 17th was made only with regards to the injunction; it does not mean that the exclusive contract between SM and JYJ is invalid.” They continued to add, “We are currently involved in the trial on this issue and a witness examination date has been set for mid-March. We will use only the objective truth and facts to prove the validity of the exclusive contract.”

But SM’s refutation has unleashed a flood of criticism aimed at the entertainment agency from K-Pop fans. Not only are JYJ fans criticizing the entertainment agency, but even the public is seeing SM in a bad light. Most state that SM should see the big picture instead of just focusing on the details. Most of the criticisms against SM can be found on social networking sites.

A Twitterian posted a tweet dripping with sarcasm regarding SM’s attempt to lessen the power of the Courts’ verdict that stated, “Just like their name implies, the company’s SM (SadoMasochism) will continue.” Another user stated, “SM is a Stalker Management company.” Movie critic and professor Shim Young Seop wrote on his Twitter account, “Will SM really follow the Courts’ verdict?” “If SM continues to block JYJ and not follow the Courts’ verdict, couldn’t fans file a lawsuit against SM?”

Another Twitterian emphasized that, “Even the largest boulder will crack and break if water drops continuously fall on it. I believe that the Courts’ decision will not only break the boulder that is SM, but also become the foundation of a more transparent K-pop industry.”

Netizens of various sites pointed out that, “Don’t look at celebrities like mere objects to sell. There is a need to respect their worth and human rights.” They are also raising their voices to say, “The only thing greed brings about is destruction. We hope that SM, a representative entertainment agency of Korea, does not partake in foolish acts that will do nothing but cause the public to distrust them.”

Many are criticizing SM’s outdated patriarchal leadership and pointing out that changes need to be made for a fair and harmonious entertainment industry. The opinion is rising that an effective alternative must be set to move the Korean entertainment industry into a new era.


Source: [today korea+Yuaerubi]
Translation credits: jeeelim5@tohosomnia.net
Shared by: tohosomnia.net

Donghae & Siwon back out of Extravagant Challenge because of Ariel?

Source: UDN
Written by: Zahra on 2/23/2011 @ CpopAccess.com

Extravagant Challenge hasn't even had the chance to recuperate from it's three-year-delay before being hit with more problems. Since Ariel Lin announced that she was dropping Extravagant Challenge for another GTV series, 我可能不會愛你 (roughly I Might Not Fall In Love With You,) fans have been bombarding the station with threats saying that they will boycott both series if Ariel is not the lead of Extravagant. Not only that, it is also rumored that Super Junior's Donghae and Siwon might have also dropped out due to the female lead being changed. GTV current statement is that everything out there are still rumors and they will be making an official announcement about the cast at the end of the month as the series can no longer be postponed due to copyright restrictions.

Wu Chun drops out of Absolute Boyfriend and remains without contract

Source: Nownews
Written by: Zahra on 2/22/2011 @ CpopAccess.com

It's recently been revealed that Wu Chun's contracts with HIM and Comic had expired at the end of last year and there are no signs of him renewing the contracts after two months. He has stated before that the reason he would stop singing would be for his father. While there have still been promotions for a Fahrenheit album release, all the work Wu Chun has done for it was merely to fill the last of the requirements of his contract.

It has also been leaked that Wu Chun has dropped out of both his upcoming series (Absolute Boyfriend) and movie (Summer Holiday 2) leading to many speculations of him preparing to leave the entertainment industry. As of present, Wu Chun has expressed when interviewed that he has thought about leaving. For his fans, though, he will not depart rashly. However, he will not be putting his whole heart into the entertainment industry in the future.

In the five years he has been in showbiz, Wu Chun has only been able to take a vacation on New Year each year. This has been making him feel ashamed at the neglect over his own family and has previously been made to think about working less and spending more time taking care of his father. Wu Chun's father also hoped that his son did not have to work so hard and go back to Brunei to led a simple life. Thus, at the end of his contract last year, Wu Chun moved back to Brunei, and has been there since.

On February 13th, the third branch of Wu Chun's fitness gym opened and when he was interviewed then, he finally revealed what he was truly thinking. "I have always said that if I was happy doing what I did, then I would continue. If I wasn't happy, I would return to Brunei. Everyone knows that the entertainment industry isn't the only thing I partake in. The company has discussed renewing the contact with me, but I have not made a decision on my future yet, so I've been pushing it off." Wu Chun also emphasized that Brunei is his true home. Seeing how happy he was at being home, he was asked whether he really hadn't thought about leaving the industry to which he answered, "I do want to a little because I really miss my family. Since coming back home, I have been very happy, but also feel a bit guilty because I didn't take good care of my father in the past and wasn't able to accompany him to the doctors for his back and legs."

Thinking about the past five years, he said, "I originally had a pretty good life, but I also had a sense of accomplishment when living a life where I could take care of myself. At the same time, that satisfaction was cut in half. The half I lost was spending time with my family and my freedom. I actually don't have much confidence in my acting, most of the force that pushed me was from my fans, so I won't speak of quitting so easily. I will continue working, but I require a lot of freedom and will only take on jobs I like." Regarding work in the entertainment industry, he said, "It requires sacrifice. I really cherish everything that I learned each day while working. It will be helpful in all the decisions I make in the future. Even if it will be hard, I will face everything with a positive attitude."

Could this really be the end of Fahrenheit?

Selina Jen’s legs are ‘completely destroyed’

Source : xinmsn.com

Taiwanese singer Selina Jen's fiancé Richard Chang broke his silence for the first time since the on-set accident that left Selina severely burnt.

He recently appeared on the talk show Shen Chun Hua Life Show. During the interview, he broke down many times.

Richard spoke about the time when he first learnt about Selina's accident.

"[The production crew] carelessly lit the fire when they were filming the explosion scene. There was no water on set, no body double, no rehearsals [done beforehand] and no firemen [around]. Selina was very scared, but she didn't dare say," he recalled.

Richard choked and sobbed when he spoke about Selina's severely burnt legs, due to delayed treatment. He revealed that apart from Selina's feet and toes, "all other parts of her legs are completely destroyed".

Richard expressed that after the accident, Selina did not blame the production crew. Instead, the singer blamed herself for not telling anyone her fears and for running too slowly.

However, Richard felt that Selina did no wrong. He revealed that he had already acquired 80 per cent of evidence required to fight his case and swore to see justice done to his fiancée.

Selina Jen’s injuries take a turn for the worse

Source : xinmsn.com

Taiwanese pop starlet Selina Jen has remained strong and brave in the last few months, after an accident on the set of drama I Have a Date with Spring left her severely burnt and in a state of agony.

However, the singer recently revealed that her therapy sessions have not been going well.

"I'm a girl who cries a lot tonight. I asked Richard [Selina Jen's fiancé] if I could blame God. I asked if I could scold God. Why must it be me? What did I do wrong?" Selina wrote on her microblog yesterday.

Selina revealed that no matter how hard she worked during her therapies, her skin still feels "very tight". Large blisters were also forming on her legs, which were gradually healing. The once optimistic girl became discouraged and was reduced to tears.

"Why is it that the confidence, which took me so long to build up, is slowly breaking down? The only things which answered me are my tears and the hand, which is patting on my back," Selina wrote.

The helpless singer ended her entry with the sentence, "Can I be a girl who is not brave and cries a lot tonight?"

Taiwanese pop diva Jolin Tsai, who saw Selina's entry half an hour later, replied encouragingly, "You can blame whoever you want. You can even stop believing in God. However, don't give up on yourself."

Good friend and S.H.E bandmate Ella Chen said that Selina has always liked crying and did not want the latter to bottle her tears up.

"Nobody says you have to be strong or brave, but you had been strong and brave, haven't you? So, follow your heart, n (sic) pray to God. He will listen to u n (sic) answer you! I love you," Ella replied.